Eating utensil with illuminated head portion



May 5,1910 R. H. FILE 3.510.6 3

, EATING UTENSIL WITH ILLUMINATED HEAD PORTION Filed Aug. 7. 1967 RobertH F /'/e IN VENTOR.

WW Em United States Patent EATING UTENSIL WITH ILLUMINATED HEAD PORTIONRobert H. File, 7217 Ottawa Road NE., Albuquerque, N. Mex. 87110 FiledAug. 7, 1967, Ser. No. 658,691 Int. Cl. B25f 3/00; B43k 29/10; F21v33/00 US. Cl. 240-6.46 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The inventiondisclosed consists of an elongated eating utensil including a removablespoon bowl defining head portion at one end constructed oflight-transmitting material. Illumination structure is provided andoperable to cast a beam of light into the base of the head portion forillumination of the latter from within and the head includes measuringindicia for indicating the amount of fluent material disposed within thespoon bowl.

The eating utensil of the instant invention may be in the form of aspoon or fork as well as other possible eating utensils and includes apenlight flashlight-type shank portion over which the head portion ofthe eating utensil is telescopingly secured and the head portion isconstructed of light-transmitting material whereby it may be illuminatedfrom the interior thereof by the illumination means supported from theshank portion of the utensil.

By constructing eating utensils such as spoons and forks in accordancewith the present invention food may be eaten in semior totally-darkareas. Further, a spoon utensil constructed in accordance with thepresent invention may be used to great advantage in administeringmedicants in a darkened room such as the room of a child at night. Aperson administering medicants with a spoon constructed in accordancewith the present invention may readily view any medicants being pouredinto the spoon from the light emitted therefrom and if the bowl of thespoon is provided with various indicia indicating different levels towhich the bowl of the spoon should be filled with liquid of variouspredetermined quantities, the spoon may even be utilized to measure theproper amount of medicant to be administered. Of course, the child orother person to receive a liquid form of medicine [from the spoon willhave no difliculty in knowing the exact location of the latter and theperson administering the medicine will be able to view the spoon so asto support the latter in a horizontal position at all times until themedicant is administered thereby reducing the possibility of spillingthe medicant from the spoon.

Although the eating utensil of the instant invention has beenspecifically designed to assist in administering medicants in a darkenedroom, campers and other persons who might experience the necessity ofhaving to eat in at least a semi-dark area find that it is to theiradvantage to be provided with eating utensils constructed in accordance:with the present invention.

The main object of this invention is to provide an eating utensilincluding a head portion constructed of light-transmitting materials andilluminated from within the confines of the exposed external surfaces ofthe head portion.

Another object of this invention is to provide an eating utensil in theform of a spoon whose head portion defines the bowl portion of the spoonand which includes measuring indicia on the bowl portion thereof wherebypredetermined quantities of fluids may be poured into the bowl portionof the spoon in semi-darkened or even totally dark areas.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an ice eatingutensil in accordance with the preceding objects and which includesreadily removable head portions which may be illuminated from theinteriors thereof whereby different head portions may be removablysupported from a single member including illumination means and adaptedto form the shank portion of the utensil.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein isto provide an eating utensil in accordance with the preceding objectswhich will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simpleconstruction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will beeconomically \feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble-free inoperation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an eating utensil constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 with parts being broken away andillustrated in longitudinal vertical section;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the assemblageillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of head portion whichmay be interchanged with the spoon defining head portion illustrated inFIGS. 1-3.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10generally designates the eating utensil. The utensil 10 includes a shankportion referred to in general by the reference numeral 12 and a headportion generally referred to by the reference numeral 14.

The shank portion 12 includes a tubular body 16 having one closed end 18and an opposite end which is internally threaded as at 20. The tubularbody 16 may be in the form of the body portion of a conventionalpenlight type flashlight in which one or more batteries 22 are disposedand which includes a longitudinally reciprocal exteriorly disposedswitch actuator 24 from which an internally disposed contact bar 26 issupported. The tubular body 16 may be constructed of non-conductivematerial and a conventional flashlight bulb 28 is secured in the openend of the tubular body 16 by means of an externally threaded sleeve 30threadedly engaged within the open end of the tubular body 16, theradially outwardly projecting flange 32 of the bulb 28 being heldcaptive between an inner shoulder portion 34 defined on the body 16 andthe inner end of the sleeve 30.

The bulb 28 may be electrically actuated in a conventional manner byshifting the switch actuator 24 to the right as viewed in FIG. 2 of thedrawings so as to shift the contact bar 26 into engagement with theflange 32 whereupon an electrical circuit between the battery 22 and thebulb 28 will be closed.

The outer end of the sleeve 30 includes a pair of axially spacedcircumferentially extending shoulders 36 defining a circumferentialgroove 38 therebetween in which the convolution 38 of a coiledcompression spring 40 is removably secured. I

The head portion 14 illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 defines an elongated bodyhaving a spoon bowl portion 44 on one end and a hollow sleeve portion 46on the other end. The sleeve portion 46 is connected to the spoon bowlportion 44 by means of a short shank section 48 extending therebetweenand the head portion 14 is constructed of lighttransmitting materialsuch as a clear or translucent plastic.

The sleeve portion 46 is provided with a pair of generally diametricallyopposite J-shaped slots 50 and the open end of the sleeve portion 46 issnugly telescoped over the compression spring 40, the exposed end of thesleeve 30 and the adjacent internally threaded end of the tubular body16 with the pair of diametrically opposite and outwardly projecting pins52 carried by the open end of the body 16 passed through the slots 50and seated in the inner closed ends thereof. In this manner, the headportion 14 is removably supported from the shank portion 12 and thecompression spring 40 acts to yieldingly urge the head portion 14 awayfrom the closed end of the shank portion or tubular body 16 andtherefore to retain the pins 52 seated in the closed ends of the slots50.

Inasmuch as the material of which the head portion 14 is constructedwill transmit light, light emanating from the grooved end of the sleeve30 will enter the shank section 48 of the head portion 14 and illuminatethe spoon bowl portion 14. The spoon bowl portion 14 is provided withindicia 54 whereby predetermined quantities of liquid poured into thespoon bowl portion 14 may be readily measured.

With attention now invited more specifically to FIG. 4 of the drawingsthere may be seen a second head portion generally referred to by thereference numeral 56 and which is substantially identical to the headportion 14 except that in lieu of a spoon bowl portion such as portion44 the head portion 14 is provided with a fork head 58 including aplurality of generally parallel arcuate tines 60.

Accordingly, it may be seen that a utensil in the form of a fork as wellas a utensil in the form of a spoon may be provided. Of course, if theutensil is constructed so as to be in the form of a fork, it may beutilized as a con ventional eating utensil. In addition, if the utensilis constructed in the form of a spoon, in addition to being able to beutilized in the conventional manner for eating purposes, the spoon formof utensil may be utilized to great advantage when administering liquidmedicants to patients or children in darkened rooms.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An eating utensil including an elongated body portion having a spoon-bowl defining head portion on one end, said body and said head portionbeing constructed of a single body of light-transmitting material, andillumination means carried by the other end of said body remote fromsaid head portion and operative to cast a beam of light into said remoteend, through said body and into said head portion for illumination ofthe latter from within, said spoon bowl defining head portion includingmeasuring indicia thereon so as to adapt said utensil to be used inadministering oral medicants in a dark room.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein at least the other end of saidbody is hollow and encloses said illumination means.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said illumination means isremovably secured to said other end of said body.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein at least said one end of saidshank portion is hollow and encloses said i1- lumination means.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said illumination means isremovably secured to said other end of said body, said head portion andsaid one end of said body including coacting means defining a releasablebayonettype connection between said body and head portion.

6. The combination of claim 1 wherein said illumination means comprisesa lengthwise extension of said remote end of said body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 353,055 11/1886 Dorr 30-1412,186,143 1/1940 Neugass. 2,610,277 9/ 1952 Hooker et a1. 2,770,87711/1956 Bird 30-123 2,885,537 5/ 1959 Wood 240-646 NORTON ANSHER,Primary Examiner R. A. WINTERCORN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

